


Hearing Things

by sekaiichis



Category: NAKAMURA Shungiku - Works, Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-23
Updated: 2016-09-27
Packaged: 2018-08-16 19:08:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8114062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sekaiichis/pseuds/sekaiichis
Summary: The night that Onodera Ritsu met Takano Masamune, he just couldn't get him out of his head.





	1. Chapter 1

The breaks of the train groaned as the they forced it into a complete stop at the station. An announcement over the intercom affirmed their location and passengers moved to exit onto the platform. 

When this was part of your daily routine, you saw many faces that you may or may not ever see again. The slightest glimpse of someone’s face could be all you get and you would never have to think about them again. They would stay just that to you―a face. 

All you needed was a glimpse of a certain face before it became so much more than that. Just the briefest of looks could change your life if you allowed it to.

As Onodera Ritsu walked out of the train station and was embraced by the dry winter air, he felt a chill go through his body. It was January and even the two layers under his jacket and scarf couldn’t keep him warm.

He made a quick stop at the convenience store to pick up a premade meal, another part of his routine, and went on with the short walk to his apartment.

As he approached the building, he noticed another person a bit up ahead on the sidewalk. When the man turned and began approaching his building, he perked up a bit. He hadn’t met this person before, perhaps a new neighbor?

He wondered a bit as he turned the corner himself to find the man standing outside the entrance, cellphone in hand.

“You’re too lazy?” The stranger’s face scrunched up in a scowl. “You’re the one that invited me over, get your ass down here and open the door!”

Onodera clutched his bag as he approached the man; he was taller than him and from the look in his eyes and the tone of his voice, he didn’t want to be the one on the other side of that call.

“U-um, sir, excuse me.” The brunet made himself known, earning a quick glance from a pair of dull blue eyes. “I live here, so I could let you in if your friend can’t come down at the moment.”

“Oh,” The man gave a courteous smile at that. “Thank you, that’d be great.”

“It’s no problem,” His keys jingled as he brought them out of his bag. “I wouldn’t want anyone having to stand out in this weather for too long.”

“Masamune,” The man’s voice became harsh with frustration again. “Someone is letting me in, I’ll be up soon.” He ended the call without bothering to wait for a response.

‘Masamune? I don’t think I know anyone in the building with that name. Then again, I don’t even know some of the neighbors on my own floor.’ Onodera thought to himself as he held the door open for the other.

“Thank you, uh- what was your name?”

“Onodera Ritsu, it’s nice to meet you.” He smiled.

“Yokozawa Takafumi.” The other introduced himself as well, offering a quick smile in return as they made their way into the building.

“Alright then Yokozawa-san,” Onodera pressed a button and the elevator opened with a quick beep. “Which floor?”

“Twelve. I have an old friend who is stuffed up in his apartment with a bad fever. He insisted on going to work at one of its most stressful times and made it worse.”

“Oh, twelve? I live up there, too.” After a moment’s thought, he didn’t know of a Masamune on the floor. “Which apartment number? I don’t think I’ve met this person.”

“I wouldn’t be all that surprised if you haven’t met him. His work schedule isn’t exactly stable.”

“What’s his job?” The brunet couldn’t help but be curious at this point.

“He’s the editor-in-chief of a manga magazine. He insisted on seeing things through to the galley proofing and nearly collapsed.” The explanation was brief and to the point.

“O-oh,” Even not having met this neighbor, he felt worried for him. “Is he feeling any better now?”

“I’m pretty sure he still has a fever.” Yokozawa chuckled. “He’d probably still go to work with it.”

“That’s no good.” Onodera laughed as well. “I’m prone to getting colds pretty often and I should know well enough that pushing yourself in those times never ends well.”

“You tell him that then.” A beep interrupted him and the elevator came to a stop. The doors opened and they walked out to see who Onodera could only assume to be ‘Masamune’ standing outside of 1201.

“Hey Yokozawa, I can take care of myself, you didn’t need to make one of my neighbors let you in.” Even with his hoarse voice, it still felt powerful. Thought there were other things going on with the brunet that may have been giving him such an impression.

His heartbeat had sped up out of nowhere and a static noise rang in his ears. He held a hand to his forehead as he stared at the neighbor. He leaned against the wall, afraid he was about to faint.

“Onodera-san, are you okay?” Yokozawa looked at him with worry and Masamune’s gaze followed not a second after and he seemed to stumble a bit himself.

Then the static faded slightly and his eyes went wide at what had replaced it.

**[Are you okay there, buddy?]**

“Wh-what did you say? When…?” He hadn’t seen either of their mouths move, yet he had clearly heard a voice echoing.

“Are you okay?” Yokozawa took a step forward, concerned. “Onodera-san?”

“Yeah, I’m okay, I just…. I thought I heard something else.” The static faded a bit more and the voice came through again.

**[Huh… you’re weird…]**

Suddenly, Masamune found himself hearing that static as well. He tried to convince himself it was some weird side effect of the pills he had taken earlier. He mentally noted to yell at Yokozawa once he got his voice back.

_[Where is that coming from?!]_

Masamune’s face scrunched up in a scowl, confused.

**[What? What was that? God, what was in those pills?!]**

_[Pills? What?]_

“Onodera-san.” Yokozawa waved a hand in front of emerald eyes. “Are you alright?”

“O-oh! I’m fine!” He straightened up, trying to get himself together. “H-have a good night, Yokozawa-san and, erm… sir.” The brunet took large strides down the hall to his own apartment, finding great relief in being alone. Well, mostly alone.

**[Hello? Onodera-san? Maybe I was hearing things.]**

He stiffened at the voice invading his mind once more.

_[Who is this?]_

It was at least a comfort that in his mind he wouldn’t be stuttering.

**[Oh, I wasn’t hearing things then… Well then, nice to… hear you? I’m Takano Masamune.]**


	2. Chapter 2

Onodera put down his bags and promptly slid down next to them on the wood floor.  


_[Takano-san? So you’re Yokozawa-san’s friend then?]  
_  

There was a moment’s silence, maybe he really was going crazy.  
 

 **[Damn it Yokozawa-]  
**  

A distant hum of static cut him off momentarily before his voice came through once more.  
 

 **[-man, too.]  
**  

“H-huh…?” The brunet stared blankly at the wall.  
 

 _[...Takano-san?]  
_  

 **[Oh, Onodera-san, did you say something?]  
**  

 _[Oh, nothing, nothing!]  
_  

 **[I know this is kind of sudden and all, but Yokozawa seems to want to talk to you. He’ll probably be over in a few minutes after he finishes whatever he wants to do here.]  
**  

 _[Oh... May I ask why?]  
_  

 **[Ah, well I told him about our connection-]  
**  

 _[What?... Why would he do something so embarrassing right after the connection? At least let me get used to this first!]  
_  

 **[Embarrassing?]  
**  

 _[Gah! How did you hear that? I wasn’t trying to talk to you then!]  
_  

**[Onodera-san, he’s coming right now-]**

* * *

Yokozawa stood outside of apartment 1202, a slight frown on his face.  


**[Takafumi, I’m sure he’ll be fine. You have no need to worry about him.]  
**  

 _[I’m not all that worried, I just want to talk to him a bit. I’ll probably be seeing him more since Masamune’ll probably be spending more time with him.]  
_  

 **[Or you’ll be seeing both of them less. Takano doesn’t have a lot of free time as it is and considering that this is the first time they’ve met, I would guess this Onodera guy doesn’t have too much of it either.]  
**  

 _[...I hate it when you’re right.]  
_  

 **[But you love me! Isn’t it great how that works out? Ah, Hiyo is calling me over, we can talk more when you get over here.]  
**  

 _[Okay, talk to you then, Zen.]  
_  

The voice faded out and the salesman was left with a clear head, able to further plan out what he was going to say. He didn’t want to scare him off or anything- not that Masamune would let him.  
 

Not wanting to dwell on things for too long, he reached out and rang the doorbell.  
 

Almost instantly, the door swung open to reveal Onodera, still wearing his coat. He didn’t look like he had moved much at all since rushing in there earlier.  
 

“Y-Yokozawa-san, hello again.” He appeared much more tense than he did at their first encounter. “Is there a problem?”  


“There’s no problem, I just wanted to talk to you a bit. Can I come in for a few minutes?”  
 

“Oh, yes.” He stepped to the side of the doorway to allow him room for entrance. “Please, come in.”  
 

They sat themselves on the one couch in the apartment, an awkward atmosphere setting in.  
 

The brunet broke the silence, smiling again. “So, what did you want to talk about?”  
 

“Masamune told me that you two are connected now.” He didn’t see the value in beating around the bush. “I just wanted to talk about that a bit.”  
 

“A-ah, I see.” A light blush dusted the Onodera’s face. “What about it?”  


“I want you to know that you’ll have to be patient with him. It might take him a while to get used to the idea of being in a stable relationship with somebody.” Yokozawa sighed, worried for his friend. “There was a time in his life where he desperately searched for his soulmate- for you.”  
 

“...” The brunet didn’t reply, mouth somewhat hanging open.  
 

“He’s had his share of drama in life and once he warms up to you, I’m sure you two will get by just fine. Just know that your communication is going to be vital, especially with him of all people.” He stood to leave, not having anything else to say.  
 

“...Yokozawa-san,” They met each other’s eyes. “I’m not sure when I’ll see you again, so thank you. I...I’ll try my best.”  
 

“Mmm.” He gave a low hum. “I’d be upset if you did anything but that. Now, good luck with him, he can be a bit of a handful at times.” Having gotten in that last bit, he saw himself out.

Takano hadn’t heard Onodera’s thoughts since he had warned him of Yokozawa going to see him. It was weird, having the voice cut out so suddenly. He was kind of worried that the whole thing had been some sick hallucination from the fever.  
 

He rolled over, trying to find a comfortable position under his covers. His mind was clouded with thoughts of his neighbor, his... soulmate.  
 

It was weird to accept such a thing out of nowhere. Even though he saw it in nearly every manuscript that came across his desk, it was an odd concept. You could be in a perfectly functioning relationship and then you meet someone out of nowhere and bam! You’re soulmates and it’s only considered acceptable to be with them since you’ve found them.  
 

The raven couldn’t exactly say he had clear expectations of just who would come into his life, but he could say it wasn’t this. Gay relationships were more accepted in recent times, especially in these cases, but there were always people against such things.  
 

They hadn’t even met thirty minutes ago and he was already wondering about their future. He laughed at himself, almost wishing this was a dream.  
 

 _[Takano-san? Are you awake?]  
_  

Scratch that, he very much wanted this.  
 

 **[Yeah.]  
**  

He pushed himself not to share the rest of his mess of thoughts.  
 

 _[Ah, Yokozawa-san left now.]  
_  

 **[I hope he wasn’t too much of a bother. We’ve been friends since college and he’s kind of protective. It’s just the type of guy he is.]  
**  

 _[...]  
_  

He could feel that the connection didn’t cut out quite yet, so he went on.  
 

 **[What are you doing now?]  
**  

 _[I was thinking of reading a bit before turning in.]  
_  

 **[I see.]  
**  

 _[...]  
_  

 **[...]  
**  

They were going to have to work on filling in silences, Takano thought to himself.  
 

 _[Oh, Takano-san, I heard from Yokozawa-san that you edit manga, just what’s that like?]  
_  

 **[I enjoy my job for the most part. The authors can be a pain in the ass at times, but being able to help them get out their stories is a great feeling. I push them to give me their best possible work, and I personally find it to be very rewarding.]  
**  

 _[...Wow. I’ve been editing for a while myself- literature- but I haven’t heard anybody really put that into words.]  
_  

 **[Literature? Where do you work?]  
**  

 _[...Onodera Publishing.]  
_  

The raven noted the reluctance in the response.  
 

 **[I was wondering why you’re last name sounded familiar. So, by a chance are you at all related to the higher-ups?]  
**  

 _[Ah… my father is the CEO.]  
_  

He decided to switch the subject, feeling a sense that this wasn’t something the brunet wanted to talk about in detail.  
 

 **[Whose works do you edit? I can name quite a few authors that are published through your family’s publishing house.]  
**  

 _[The authors I’m working with as of now are Usami Akihiko and Sumi Ryouichi.]  
_  

 **[Wow. I’ve read plenty of both of their works, it’s an honor to be able to meet the editor of such esteemed authors like this.]  
**  

 _[Ah, there’s no need to compliment me. Those two are the ones doing the most work.]  
_  

 **[Hey, from editor to editor I can say that we shouldn’t ignore how important our job is. We’re the ones who see the work first, we’re the ones who help them polish their works, the ones who help them get through to the end of the cycle-]  
**  

 _[Cycle?]  
_  

 **[Oh right, you edit literature. basically the magazine we run has a cycle that just under a month. So we have to finish coming up with a chapter’s plot, illustration, dialogue- all that fun in the given time.]  
**  

 _[...Oh.]  
_  

 **[Don’t get me wrong, this job is something I love and I wouldn’t give it up without a fight. It’s just that it can get a bit bad for your health when you pull a few all-nighters at the office- wait, what time is it?]  
**  

There was a brief pause before the reply.  
 

 _[Ah, I think I should forget about the reading. It’s already 23:30, I’m going to go to bed now, you should get some rest, too.]  
_  

 **[I agree with you on that.]  
**  

 _[Ok… good night, Takano-san.]_  
  
  
**[Good night, Onodera-san.]**


	3. Chapter 3

**A Few Days Later...**

  
“ _ Again?! _ Amano-sensei, we went over this last month, and the month before that,  _ and the one before that! _ ” A short haired woman held the receiver of her desk’s phone to her ear, clearly exasperated. “I can’t keep the printers that much longer! We’ll take care of the typeset, so just worry about the last bits of inking and screentones!”

 

After another quick reminder of the time crunch they were in, Saeki placed the phone back down on its stand with a heavy sigh. As much as she loved her job, her authors always seemed to forget that they were under time constraints.

 

She stood from her seat to take a walk over to the vending machines, having nothing to do until the manuscript was faxed over.

 

After the short walk through the hell that was the editing floor and into the employee lounge, she found herself looking at a familiar brunet.

 

“Onodera-kun, save meeeee.” She stumbled over to him, looking as if she was about to faint.

 

“Saeki-san! Are you okay?” He moved to support her, holding her up by her biceps.

 

“The printers aren’t going to extend the deadline any further than tonight and Amano-sensei and her assistants still have seven pages to ink and twenty three to apply tone to! I’m not okay!”

 

“Tone?” The word was foreign to him, having never been all that interested in manga.

 

“Tone is-” A blush had spread on his face before she could even get her explanation in, confusing her. “Is there something wrong?”

 

“I told you... I work in literature, why would I know that?” The mumbled words didn’t seem to be directed at her, but she replied anyways.

 

“Yeah, I know you’re in our literature department, Onodera-kun. I’m fairly certain everyone in the company knows that.” The dry response seemed to snap him out of whatever had been preoccupying him, only worsening his blush.

 

“O-oh, I’m sorry! I was talking to-thinking about something else! Hahah!” His nervous laughter only made her more suspicious of him, and it was only a matter of moments before the gears began to turn in her head.

 

“Oh, what's this?” A burst of energy took over the dark haired woman and his arms fell from their grip on her to his sides. “Did somebody find their special someone since the last time we talked?”

 

“...Yeah, I  _ guess  _ you could say that I might’ve met someone.” 

 

“You have to tell me about them! Gender? Age? Name? Height?” Not giving him space to answer, she went on. “God, Onodera-kun, you’re so lucky! You have to tell me the details!”

 

“I don’t know, Saeki-san, I wouldn’t want to go and waste your time. Didn't you say your deadline is really close?” At this the burst of energy she had felt faded almost instantly.

 

“Gah, you’re right! But,” She gave his shoulders a few pats. ”We’ve got to meet up later and talk about this. I’d love to find out more about them, whoever they are!”

 

“We can talk later, for now, I think that we both need to get back to work. I have some calls to make and you have duties of your own.” He smiled slightly before going to show himself out of the room. “See you around, Saeki-san.”

**[Do you want me to come with whenever that happens?]**

 

The brunet had decided to inform Takano on the development, and gotten a sort of mixed reaction that he couldn’t pin down. It was between sarcasm and a sort of bluntness that he didn’t see in many people.

 

_ [You two could talk about your jobs. I recall Yokozawa-san saying that you work in manga?] _

 

**[Yeah, and I know what tone is.]**

 

Onodera let it slide, not wanting to argue about something so small.

 

_ [Could I ask what kind of manga you work on?] _

 

**[Shoujo manga.]**

 

The way he said it was so incredibly plain and simple. like it had been the most obvious thing in the world. 

 

_ [...] _

 

**[Surprised?]**

 

_ [...Yeah. You could say that.] _

 

**[Why?]**

 

He had the feeling that he could’ve gotten away without answering such a question; the answer so so obvious, so clear. But not so much to the raven.

 

_ [Well, first off, you’re a guy-] _

 

**[And?]**

 

_ [And…? I just...the image of a man in his late twenties doesn’t come to mind when I think of product made for the consumption of teenage girls.] _

 

**[Well, get ready for this one. The whole editorial department for the shoujo magazine we run over here at Marukawa is male.]**

 

_ [Really?] _

 

**[Really.]**

 

The brunet settled in the chair at his desk, picking up the receiver of the phone as he readied to make a few calls.

 

_ [I have to get back to work, Takano-san. I’ll try to keep my thoughts to myself.] _

 

**[Alright, my lunch break was ending anyways.]**

 

_ [...] _

 

**[Bye.]**

 

_ [Oh, bye!] _

 

The now familiar static snap rang in his head and his mind was clear again. He got back to work, dial tone hitting his ear as he pressed a few numbers. Having finished his work for the day, Onodera felt a sort of satisfaction as he slipped on his coat and grabbed his bag from under his chair.

 

Making his way to the elevator, he came upon Saeki yet again.

 

“Ah, Onodera-kun,” She clasped her hands, looking as if she were about to collapse like earlier. “We did it... Sensei got the manuscript in on time...”

 

“That’s great to hear, Saeki-san.”  The brunet laughed nervously, always apprehensive when she got like this.

 

“...” She swayed as she had done earlier, and nearly passed out before Onodera caught her.

 

“Saeki-san, do you need me to call a taxi for you again?”

 

“I don’t have to money on me to pay the fee…” At this, the brunet only sighed, knowing she would need a number of reminders to pay him back if he covered it.

 

_ [Hey, Takano-san, are you off of work yet?] _

 

**[I’m driving home right now, why?]**

 

_ [Are you close to the Onodera Publishing building?] _

 

**[Do you want me to pick you up or something?]**

 

_ [It would be more for Saeki-san. She doesn’t have the money to pay for a taxi and I have this feeling that I wouldn’t get paid back any time soon if I paid it for her.] _

 

**[Alright, what’s the address?]** ”So, she just passed out?” Takano asked, looking forward at the dimly-lit side street.

 

“Yeah, apparently the magazine’s deadline for the printers was tonight, so she’s been more tired lately.” In her state, she hadn’t been able to notice just who had given the ride, let alone that Onodera hadn’t owned a car and didn’t even know how to drive one.

 

“I see.” Came the simple reply.

 

“...So, you wear glasses?”

 

“Only when I’m driving or need to read something that’s far away.”

 

“Oh, I see.”

 

Not having much else to make conversation of, the two remained silent for the remainder of the ride up until when they parked in the complex’s garage.

 

“Thank you for the ride, Takano-san.” Onodera said, making his way out of the car.

 

“Any time.” He gave the brunet a small smile as he pressed for the elevator door to open.

 

Upon reaching their floor, they gave their own goodbyes, walked into their own apartments, and went about in silence.

 

‘This is actually happening…’ Onodera had settled in bed, lost in his own thoughts. ‘I wonder what they’ll think. Mother and Father and…’ A frown settled on his face, a few memories surfacing. ‘An-chan…’

 

**{Who’s An-chan?]**


	4. Chapter 4

**[Who’s An-chan?]**

 

It took a few moments to register that he had accidentally sent that last bit to Takano. He tensed, knowing this was a pretty huge hurdle in being able to transition into a relationship- hell,  he wasn’t even sure that they would be able to with his situation.

 

_ [It’s… a long story. Could we talk tomorrow or maybe set up a time to meet? I’d rather talk about this in person.] _

 

With the few moments it took for the other to answer, he could only presume Takano’s mind had been wandering. He knew it was impossible for him to know, but he feared the gears were already turning.

 

Yeah, he had a fiancée. It wasn’t something he was at all happy about, especially when his parents  _ knew  _ they weren’t bound. Even if they were, the brunet wouldn’t have wanted to jump into a relationship he wasn’t at all ready for. He had been in high school when the whole arrangement was put together!

The next morning, Onodera woke up to the ringtone he had set for Saeki. Slightly annoyed he was being woken up early on his only day off in the week, he begrudgingly reached around for his phone.

 

Catching it right before the call would be sent to voicemail, he let out a small yawn before mumbling a greeting.

 

“Hey, Onodera-kun! Sorry about yesterday night, I was a bit of a mess. Now I caught up on my sleep and I was wondering if you’d be able to meet up with me today.”

 

“Ah, sure, if you’d like to. My place or somewhere else?”

 

“How about your place this time? I’m not in the mood to eat out right now.”

 

“Maybe takeout? Remember, I can’t really cook much of anything…”

 

“Well, you’re going to have to learn eventually, you know. How about we just go shopping before going to your place? Oh, or even better, you can go buy the ingredients with that buddy of yours! Are they free today?”

 

“Ah, I’m not sure if they’re awake, but I’ll try to ask…”

 

“You can play it off by asking them if they needed to do any shopping!”

 

“Saeki-san, I’m going to talk to them now, so I might be silent for a few minutes.”

 

“No worries, I’ll be waiting.”

 

He put the phone down next to him on the bed before initiating the connection.

 

_ [Takano-san?] _

 

**[Hey.]**

 

_ [Oh, you’re awake. So I was wondering, do you have work today?] _

 

**[No, I have the day off. Why?]**

 

_ [Oh, uh, well you see… that woman you drove home last night wanted to meet up today and uh, I needed to buy some things so I could cook something.] _

 

**[You want me to drive you?]**

 

_ [Ah, well, I was just wondering if you needed to do any grocery shopping yourself, but if you don’t I’m sorry for the bo-] _

 

**[No, I don’t mind, I have to go shopping anyways.]**

 

_ [Ah, really? When would you be available to go out then?] _

 

**[I’ve been up for a while so I’d be up to going pretty soon, you?]**

 

_ [Ah, I haven’t even eaten anything yet…] _

 

**[I made a bit too much for my own breakfast, do you wanna come over to my place for a bit?]**

 

_ [Really? I wouldn’t want to impose or anything.] _

 

**[No, I was trying to think of a way to ask you about this anyways, so it’s fine. Also, we could talk about ‘An-chan’ or whoever if you came over.]**

 

_ [Ah, it’s a lot to talk about, so I’d be over for a while.] _

 

**[I have the time, Onodera-san.]**

 

_ [Ok, give me a few minutes then…] _

 

He picked his phone back up, Saeki almost immediately pushing for details. “Saeki-san, I have to go. They’ve invited me over for breakfast and we’re going to go shopping later.”

 

“Oh, score! You’re so lucky, Onodera-kun! That’s  _ so  _ grossly domestic and what, is this like your first date?”

 

“I’d hardly call it a  _ date _ , Sae-”

 

“Oh, trust me, it’s a date. Anyways, I’ll let you go now! Have fun and surprise me with dinner later!” Before Onodera could even properly respond, the line cut off and the dial tone reached his ears.

 

With a sigh, he threw his phone over to his satchel and got up and out of bed.

 

He changed out of his pajamas and brushed his hair a bit before making his way over with his bag. After locking up his own apartment he knocked on the door.

 

**[It’s unlocked.]**

 

_ [Oh, ok!] _

 

“Pardon the intrusion…” He slipped off his shoes and the smell of freshly cooked food took over his senses. It’d been awhile since he’d been able to wake up to something like this.

 

“Hey.” In his pajamas, he greeted the younger with a nod and went back to setting the table. 

 

“W-wah… Takano-san were you planning to eat all that yourself before?” There were two cups of coffee, eggs, bacon, toast…

 

“If you didn’t come over, yeah.” He placed silverware next to the plates and sat down. “Come on, let’s eat.”

 

The brunet sat down and his stomach grumbled loudly. Slightly embarrassed, he laughed it off.

 

“Sorry, it looks so good…” He smiled at him before focusing once more on the food. “Thank you for the food…”

Takano had been quite happy when the younger had initiated the connection earlier, not quite knowing how to approach Onodera. It felt very homey, the two of them sitting adjacent to each other with the drone of the morning news in the background that he wasn’t bothering to listen to. He found himself much more focused on, nearly enamored, with the younger.

 

With their encounters thus far, the older found that Onodera Ritsu was fairly easy to get a reaction out of, whether it be positive or otherwise. His face could light up or drop at the slightest of things. He was becoming an open book as he found out more about him, and he appreciated it in a way.

 

Currently, the brunet had a small smile upon his lips. Those lips, they looked so soft…

 

In an attempt to distract himself from the sight, he looked down at his food, partially eaten.

 

“So…” He pushed around the contents of his plate. “An-chan?”

 

Something Takano hadn’t been able to see last night, the slumping of the other’s shoulders, set him off almost immediately.

 

“Ah, right…” He placed his utensil down and looked up. “Well, we’ve known each other since we were really young. Our parents were all from upper class families and were connected by business. And, well, from middle school onwards they’ve had some fantasy that me and An-chan would get married-”

 

“Married?” It came out of him before he could stop it, and the chilled attitude he tried so hard to present himself with was lost. And at the sight of green eyes widening, he felt his stomach knot up a bit. “I’m sorry, please continue.”

 

“Y-yeah, it’s okay, I can see why you would have a reaction like that. But really, I don’t see her as anything but a sister, a good friend. We’ve known each other for over twenty years and I know for a fact I don’t want to be in a romantic relationship with her.”

 

“But what will you do about the whole family company situation? I know you’re still fairly young but you’re going to need to make decisions about this sooner or later.”

 

At this, his face fell once more and he went silent, something Takano had no idea how to handle.

 

“Hey, I’m sorry, you have time to think about these things and I’m sure you’ve thought about them a bit too much as is. Do you want to go shopping now?” He stood up before getting an answer, not intending to finish his food.

 

“O-oh, I wouldn’t want to waste this food, It’s so good…”

 

“Alright, I think I’m done with my food though. When you finish just leave them in the sink, I’ll be able to take care of them later.”

 

“Alright, thanks again for the food.” He went back to eating, mood having dropped quite a bit.

The ride to the grocery store was a bit awkward, Onodera finding his mind wandering. They hadn’t talked much all after their little discussion at the table, and he didn’t find himself minding it too much. If they did talk, it would probably only make things more awkward than needed.

 

“You know,” The older man started, not taking his eyes off the road. “I don’t think you needed to make such a big deal out of this An-chan situation. In fact I’m glad it came up  _ now  _ instead of later.”

 

The brunet could only sigh. “I guess that’s true...”

 

They fell back into silence, neither able to really think of a way to continue and both had the passing thought that they’d hopefully be able to work on conversations later.

 

Within the next few minutes, they reached a store, and at the sudden assault of fresh smells surrounding him, Onodera suddenly remembered he had no clue what he even planned on making. Saeki had said to “surprise” her, but he could only wonder what the word entailed.

 

Surely she didn’t want burnt meat and undercooked side dishes, but if you thought about it, such could be seen as a surprise from a 25 year old living on his own.

 

“Takano-san,” Green eyes looked at the messy black head of hair that pulled a bit ahead of him. “I was having somebody come over later, what do you think would be easy for me to make for a dinner?”

 

“Is it that woman I drove home last night?” He turned around to look at the other properly.

 

“Yeah, she said to surprise her, but with my knowledge surrounding cooking, I would say the only surprise she’d get is a bunch of burnt food…”

 

“You don’t know how to cook?” Dark brows knit together in confusion.

 

“Ah… nobody really taught me when I was younger.... I guess they didn’t think I would move out and just take over things right out of college and stay at the main house.”

 

“That’s not really the best reasoning. You should at least know the basics, didn’t you take classes like that when you were younger in school?”

 

“...I never did too well. I always seem to find a way to mess things up. I barely got a passing grade.” He gave a sad smile, embarrassed to admit to such things.

 

“I’m no professional, but I could help you out. Come on, let’s go get some things for that dinner.” 

“So what were your plans for today outside of dinner with that friend coming over later?”

 

They were now walking back to the car, each carrying a bag of ingredients for later.

 

“Oh, uh, I think I was going to spend most of my day working on that dinner. I’m really bad.”

 

“You can’t be that bad. All you need to do is follow directions from recipes.” With the click of a key he was able to throw his bag into the back seat.

 

“You’re not the first person to say that one…” He gave a dry laugh as he followed suit.

 

“Come on, get in. I’ll help you when we get back, and you’re going to get it right no matter how long it takes.”

 

“Takano-san, I really don’t think…”

 

Takano now turned to him, looking him in the eye. “We’re going to get it right, ok?”

 

“Takano-san…”

Phone ringing from across the room, Saeki gave a groan as she walked over. When she saw “Onodera RItsu” as the contact name however, she quickly perked up.

 

“What’s up, Onodera-kun?” She greeted, hopeful for some talk on his bond.

 

“Saeki-san...I think we’re going to need to postpone these dinner plans…” She noted with a bit of confusion that he was whispering.

 

“Wait, what? Why?”

 

“Well, I did go out and buy some things to make something earlier but-” 

 

Suddenly, a new, deeper voice butted into the conversation. “Onodera! How did you manage to burn this?! The flame wasn’t even-”

 

“I told you, Takano-san! This is a lost cause!” The brunet broke in again, irritated.

 

“We’re going to get something good even if it takes all night! And why are you on the phone anyways? Get back to work!”

 

“This isn’t work!” She heard a huff before he slipped back into an apologetic tone. “Look, I’m sorry, but I don’t think anything will be edible for a while, so do you think we can try the next time we bo-hey! T-takano-san!”

 

”Excuse me, but I’m going to have to take him off of your hands for a while. We have a few cooking lessons to go over. I do hope that’s alright.”

 

“O-oh, that’s fine, take as long as you need.”

 

“Alright, I do hope I’m not ruining your plans too much, uh, what was it? Saeki-san?”

 

“Y-yeah...Takano-san, right?”

 

“Takano Masamune. Well, maybe you’ll see me the day this guy can properly cook something. Goodbye.”

 

Without waiting from a reply out of her. He hung up and she was left nearly breathless. 

 

“ _ The  _ Takano Masamune…?”


	5. Chapter 5

“I still can’t believe it’s them of all people! Seriously, Onodera-kun! You went and shattered the dreams of what I’m sure was quite a few people.”

 

“It’s not like I had a say in this, Saeki-san.”

 

“How did you manage to connect with someone like that, though?”

 

“Look, I respect that they’re a great editor, but I don’t see why you’re throwing such a big fuss over all of this.”

 

“Great? They’re amazing! They brought up Marukawa’s Emerald Magazine from the pits of hell in like a year! It’s unprecedented in this business!”

 

“Look, I’d love to hear you gush about how great they are even more, but my break is about to end and it’s a little uncomfortable talking about it while I’m at work.”

 

“Ah sorry, but we have to talk more outside of work, ok? Remember, we still need to meet for dinner! And I’d like to meet them, too!”

 

“Maybe next week, Saeki-san.”

 

“Next week the cycle will be at it’s most stressful stages, how am I supposed to enjoy a proper conversation with him in such a state?!”

 

“Look, we can figure all of it out later. I want to go and focus on my work now.”

 

“Fine…” She huffed, crossing his arms over her chest. “I do expect more details later, though.”

 

“Saeki-san…”

 

“Yeah, yeah. Move along little guy.”

 

As the brunet made his way back to his desk, he wondered how exactly he had gotten into this situation.

 

When Takano had swooped in and taken his phone and talked to Saeki, he had to run his mouth and drop his name into the conversation before hanging up.

 

What Onodera had least expected was her absolutely assaulting him with questions the following day.

 

While he knew she would’ve squeezed the identity and gender of his connection of him eventually, he didn’t foresee the day coming so quickly.

 

He did try to pass him off as his neighbor and only that for a while, but she had to go and get all suspicious because of that phone call. As she had put it, “No normal neighbor would go and treat you like that!” Of course, he had to bite his tongue and not say that his connection was anything but normal.

 

He was well off when it came to looks, could cook, was the successful chief editor of a division at a big publishing house,or so he heard so many times over the past two weeks from Saeki. And then he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was definitely some part of him that kept drawing the brunet in.

 

Sure, knowing who your soulmate was supposed to be was nice, but you still have to communicate things and get to know each other.  The connections made it easier to sneak in some small talk here or there, but when it came down to it, Onodera could tell he had yet to learn much about Takano.

 

And in that, the brunet saw appeal and felt fear.

_ [Hey,] _ Hours later, the brunet had decided it was about time to get home.  _ [Takano-san, are you free to ta-?] _

 

**[Absolutely not, don’t bother me right now.]** At the strain in his voice Onodera winced, it had gotten through surprisingly well for the connection.

 

_ [...] _ He wasn’t quite sure what had made him react so harshly, but it had given him enough of a scare that he didn’t bother and just cut off the connection.

 

Walking out of the building, he sighed. He wanted to know just what put him into this mood, but at the same time he didn’t want to pry.  He allowed his mind to wander a bit, trying think up a few scenarios.

 

Stress from work? Maybe, considering how Saeki would get sometimes.

 

Bad night of sleep? Takano had told him that he was turning in before eleven when they had talked last night. Though he hadn’t really seen him, so he couldn’t be sure on that one.

 

Was he annoyed with him? Everything had seemed fine last night.

 

All he was sure on was that he would have to ask about dinner plans later.

“Tch.” Takano clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth. “Kisa, where the fuck is that manuscript?!”

 

“I’m finishing it now, Takano-san,” The oldest of the editors chirped out weakly. “I only have a few pages left…”

 

“Hurry up!” The editor in chief yelled. “They can only put up with this shit so much every month!”

 

“You’re the one who’s always jumping to-”

 

“How dare you talk back to me?!” The sound of his fist slamming against the desk broke through the other office jabber. “I will strike you where you stand!”

 

“It’s done,” Kisa threw his hand into the air, barely able to hold the stack of papers. “Takano-san, that’s the last manuscript!”

 

“Good.” His tone was much more subdued as he made his way over to his employee’s desk. “Alright everyone, you can get going, I’ll handle the printers. Takahashi, you come with me and watch!”

 

“Y-yes, Takano-san!” The brunet stood up abruptly from his seat to the left of Kisa’s. 

 

Takahashi was new to the department and only briefly worked part time for Aikawa- someone Takano considered one of the leaders of the terrifying group that was the BL department-and for the Shounen magazine run by Kirishima. 

 

Takano had been a bit thrown off by the decision at first, thinking someone with a degree in economics would be better suited under Yokozawa. But after hearing about some issues that he would most definitely encounter in the Shounen department and the younger’s strong desire to be an editor (of something he made clear couldn’t involve Sapphire or Literature), it really only left Emerald.

 

He had been dropped into the Maiden Club right at the start of Hell Week and the fact that he wasn’t all that perturbed by the state of things was a good sign to Takano and the others. 

 

Learning the ropes of the business was their first priority in getting the now youngest editor into the swing of things, but in all honesty Takano really wanted to focus on his personal life.

 

It was definitely important to focus on this kid, he had to remind himself over and over again. One day, Takahashi would be editing some of the authors on his own and if they didn’t train him properly, Takano wouldn’t be able to take some shitty product.

 

Honestly, he couldn’t help but wish some divine interference would’ve swooped in and made Onodera his new employee. Sure, it would be a bit awkward to meet your connection as they become your employee, but it would make it much easier to talk to him.

 

He had felt bad earlier when he had totally blown off Onodera, but he really had to focus on both his own work and the newbie. And the fact that the newbie just happened to share a few features with his own brunet didn’t exactly help Takano to focus.

 

Takahashi seemed to have trouble staying focused himself, staring off into space from time to time or mumbling to himself.

 

Right now to be exact.

 

“Hey, Takahashi, were you paying attention?” Takano leaned down a bit, looking at the younger. “That’s not exactly an interaction that I can show you again.”

 

“I-I’m sorry, did it look like I wasn’t listening? I was just… taking it all in, haha!” Takahashi laughed it off, still seeming to be preoccupied by something- or someone. The behavior was familiar in that it was similar to when Yokozawa would get into conversations with Kirishima over their connection.

 

Did Takano get like that when he talked his own connection? He would have to ask Yokozawa later if he could.

 

And speaking of connections, just what was Onodera up to right now? He might be trying to cook something- and that thought alone terrified him.

 

Over the past few days, what had become their little cooking sessions had to come to a halt because of the combination of a new employee and Hell Week. And even with over a week of trying to teach Onodera fairly basic things, there had to be quite a few grocery store outings. They were dates if really he pushed it.

 

As he dismissed Takahashi for the day, Takano felt grateful he wouldn’t have to get stressed over deadlines for awhile. Tomorrow they were starting the cycle anew and everything would feel peaceful for a bit at work.

 

Sadly, he was left to remember what he had said to Onodera earlier and felt horrible. It had been totally uncalled for, he was way to harsh. He had to apologize.

  
**[Hey, Onodera…]**


	6. Chapter 6

**[Hey, Onodera, you up?]**

 

Takano was now making his way to the train station, looking forward to when he would get home as well as hopefully see Onodera.

 

_ [...Yeah, is everything alright? You sounded, uh, really stressed out earlier.] _

 

At this, he slumped his shoulders, being reminded of how rude he must have sounded. Before when they were cooking, it was all playfulness and a combination of endearment and shock, but this had been stressed and impatient.

 

**[I’m sorry about earlier, we were cutting it close to the deadline of the magazine with the printers. And I told you a few days ago about that new employee, right? He was all spacy again today. I was getting really frustrated with the whole situation.]**

 

_ [Ah, that was it? It’s fine, don’t worry. Just tell me whenever the cycle is ending, I try to be less of a nuisance-] _

 

**[You’re no nuisance, Onodera. If anything, I’m sure you’d be helpful in relieving some of my stress.]**

 

_ [How exactly could I help you…? Ah, wait a second Saeki-san is with me- she needs to talk to me for a bit.] _

 

A click left each other to their own thoughts. Takano was now standing on the platform, staring blankly as he waited for the connection to be initiated again.

 

Eventually, as he boarded the train, he heard the brunet’s voice, reluctant, enter his mind once more.

 

_ [Hey, would I be able to come over with someone? She’s being very insistent she can’t do any other time because of work. She wanted to know about you before, remember?] _

Takano got home a few minutes before the other two would be arriving at the complex, and decided to take a quick shower considering his current state.

 

Telling Onodera he had left the door open, he undressed himself and made his way to the bathroom.

 

Soon after that, the pair arrived at the apartment and sat themselves on the couch. Almost immediately Onodera noted to himself that with all of three of them it would be a bit cramped.

 

“He’ll be out of there in a few minutes, are you ready?” The brunet couldn’t help but to poke fun at her excitement regarding his connection.

 

“Onodera-kun, this is a huge deal! If I tell the others in my department that I met Takano Masamune of all people, they’ll be jealous as hell, you don’t get it! I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t even believe me!”  She suddenly stopped, considering something. “Do you think I could take a picture with him or something?”

 

“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind, but he doesn’t quite strike me as the type of person someone would want to take a picture with.” He shrugged a bit, not having previously thought such a thing.

 

“Hey, did the shower stop? I don’t think I can hear it.” She spoke lowly, not wanting Takano to hear her.

 

“I guess I’ll ask.” Leaning back into his seat, he started their connection.

 

_ [Takano-san, are you almost done in there? Saeki-san is really eager to meet you.] _

 

**[Ah, Onodera, I was about to ask, could you do me a favor?]**

 

_ [Ah, sure, is there a problem?] _

 

**[I know it seems stupid, but could you grab a towel some clothes from my room and bring it to the bathroom? I wasn’t really thinking when I got home and forgot to grab anything…]**

 

_ [Oh, sure…] _

 

He stood up from his seat,  sending Saeki a shrug before making his way to Takano’s bedroom. It was his first time in this part of his apartment, and he looked about the room a bit.

 

He walked over to the dresser and opened a drawer, finding everything folded up and organized by type of clothing.

 

_ [You’re a really organized person, Takano-san. I’m kind of jealous.] _

 

**[I try.]**

 

_ [Was there anything you specifically wanted to wear? Or are you feeling the black shirt and slacks again?] _

 

**[I just happen to have a lot of black clothes, what can I say? I’m not too big on bright colors. But yeah, that’s fine, could you bring them in?]**

 

_ [Ah, yeah…] _

 

After he found what he needed, he padded over to the bathroom and opened the door a smidge.

 

“Takano-san, I have your stuff.” He opened the door a bit more so he would be able to hand him his belongings.

 

Takano walked over to the door himself, leaning forward a bit to reach for his things. He made brief eye contact with the brunet and found himself watching green eyes wander down his body. Barely able to contain his laughter, he leaned forward even further, whispering.

 

“Like what you see?”

 

In shock, Onodera dropped everything and shut the door with a slam. He took a few moments to compose himself before walking back to Saeki.

 

Taking his seat once more, Onodera noticed the expectant look Saeki was giving him and sighed.

 

“W-what?”

 

“What happened? See anything worth telling me about?” She smiled at the growing blush on her co-worker’s face. “Come on, spill!”

 

“Well, uh…” Onodera sputtered, looking for something to say about the image that was so fresh in his mind. He couldn’t exactly just tell her that Takano was... well endowed. “It was nothing much, really.”

 

“Sorry for the wait.” Takano’s voice cut into the room as he stepped in front ot the couch. His shirt hugged his body and his hair shined nearly as much as his smile, still wet. “I’m Takano Masamune, nice to make your acquaintance.”

 

“H-hey, I’m the one you talked to briefly on the phone before. It’s nice to meet you in person, Takano-san. I really admire you as an editor and what you've done for Emerald!” She was nearly vibrating with excitement.

 

“Ah, it isn’t much. They just dropped me into the department and let me loose. Isaka-san is quite the enigma at times… Anyways, Onodera here is going to help me make something to eat. You can sit here and wait, turn on the TV if you want!” He walked off towards the kitchen, beckoning his connection to him.

 

“Sorry again for how sudden this is, but really her schedule is going to be hectic for awhile.” He apologized.

 

“It's fine, don't worry. We just need to figure out a way to actually cook something. How about curry?”

 

“Okay, let’s try it.” The brunet rolled up his sleeves and approached the older.

“Thanks for the food.” The three sitting at the table called out before beginning to eat.

 

“Hm, it came out better than expected.” Takano commented after his first bite, directing a playful glance at Onodera. “There’s hope for you yet, Onodera.”

 

“I sure hope so.” The youngest laughed a bit.

 

“So you two have been working on Onodera-kun’s cooking skills?” Saeki knew the gist of things from little things her co-worker had told her over the past weeks, but thought Takano’s presence might offer a more interesting perspective on the situation.

 

And by interesting, she most definitely meant entertaining.

 

“Yeah, it seems growing up the way he did left him clueless on how to do even the simplest of tasks when it comes to food.” The raven paused, taking another bite. “He’s been getting better, it’s just that this sort of thing isn’t something that comes easily, especially to somebody who hasn’t had to deal with such things for the better part of their life.”

 

“I mean, they had classes where we had to bake and cook back in high school,” A small laugh escaped him at the thought of it. “I just didn’t do too well. Maybe if I had someone like you as a teacher back this wouldn’t be a problem now.”

 

“If we had met as student and teacher, I could only imagine the problems that could come of that. Even with a connection, I’m sure a school wouldn’t be too keen on any sort of romantic involvement.”

 

“Funny you say that,” Saeki started. “I’m actually editing a series that’s dealing with something along those lines! Sensei threw me off with the whole premise at first, but it actually wasn’t nearly as bad as I had originally thought it would be.”

 

“Oh, really? Wouldn’t putting something like that in a magazine targeting a younger audience be kind of risky?” Takano’s normally feigned interest seemed to be out of the picture now, his tired eyes lightening up a bit.

 

“So it’s not actually a teacher, more of a tutor and student deal! The tutor is only 19, and the protagonist is actually turning 18 in a chapter that’s coming along pretty soon. If the tutor had been much older than that, I don’t think I-or my boss for that matter- would’ve been able to let such a thing get published with a clean conscious.”

 

“Yeah, definitely.” Takano nodded. “I know if one of our authors over at Emerald hit us with something like that I wouldn’t let it get published.”

 

“Speaking of, any interesting projects as of late, Takano-san?”

 

Saeki eagerly listened as the editor in chief talked of Ichinose-sensei’s latest antics among other things- all of it sort of blurred together to Onodera.

 

First, he made an attempt to distract himself with the drone of the evening news, but couldn’t focus on a word of it.

 

Nothing was really processing for him.

 

Surely he didn’t intend to be rude about the whole thing, but he couldn’t get himself invested in the conversation at hand. Maybe if he had some sort of underlying understanding of just what they had been talking about he could, but he didn’t have that.

 

Maybe he should learn more about the manga industry as a whole. It wouldn’t hurt to know what Takano and the others at his own company were up to.

 

Still, he had his own work to focus on. But was he even capable of that?

 

Looking down at the table, he noticed the others were finishing up their food, and he spared a look at his cell to check the time.

 

With it nearing 9:30 PM, he had to wonder just how long Saeki wanted to stick around. Takano seemed exhausted but continued on with talking to the woman.

 

Just as Onodera went to excuse himself from the table, Saeki seemed to notice the time as well with a yelp. 

 

“And I wanted to get to bed a little earlier tonight, too. Oh well.” She directed the two a bright smile. “It was great being here tonight, thanks so much for the food.”

 

“It was no problem,” The older replied. “I always think it’s nice to talk to other editors every now and then.”

 

“Same here,” She now looked to Onodera. “I, uh… Could you come here for a sec?”

 

They walked over to the genkan for a bit of privacy, much to the raven’s confusion.

 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ve been dying to meet him ever since I heard of him months ago!”

 

“It’s no problem as long as Takano-san is alright with it.” The brunet felt a smile tug at his lips. “And we didn’t get to talk about other things so much, but maybe we’ll do this again some other time.”

 

“Surely,” She now took a step forward, giving him a quick hug. “Thanks again! See you at work tomorrow!”

 

She took her leave, and Onodera leaned up against the wall. Somehow the whole thing had been draining.

 

“You okay?” Takano rounded the corner and was now standing next to him. “You seemed to kind of blank out during dinner.”

 

“Ah, it’s nothing really. I just felt I didn’t have any place to really join in on the conversation.” 

 

“I guess we were talking about something you wouldn’t know too much about.” He was now leaning on the wall as well, eyes locked on the brunet’s troubled face. “You sure you’re all good?”

 

“Just tired, but I’m sure you’re much worse off.” Green now clashed with amber, a bit frustrated. “You said you got to bed before eleven last night, but that’s not true, is it?”

 

“Yeah, sorry.” Wide shouldered shrugged. “I didn’t want you to be troubled or anything.”

 

“Well I rather know about something like this next time,” His voice fell to a mumble. “I thought you were mad with me earlier. I was wracking my brain to think of just what I could’ve done to mess up this time.”

 

“This time?” Eyebrow furrowed a bit at the phrasing of the brunet’s words.

 

“Ah…” They were bonded, they would need to talk things out sometimes. Even remind himself that, it felt odd when he went on. “I just feel like a nuisance at times.”

 

“Onodera,” He felt his heart skip a beat as a thumb ran over the knuckles of his right hand slowly. “I’ve only known you for around a month now, but I’m sure you’re exaggerating.”

 

“I’m expected to take over the family business someday, yet I don’t know the next thing about manga. Sure, that’s not all Onodera Publishing has to offer, but can you blame me for feeling incompetent about this?”

 

“No,” The bluntness in his answer almost felt good. “I can’t.

 

“But being like this does you no good, Onodera.”

 

“I know that,” He said, more to himself than the man next to him. “I know that, and yet I can’t help but feel…”

 

“Feel what?”

 

“Jealous.” Onodera tensed a bit, not having wanted to be lead into this conversation. “It’s just, seeing someone like you- you’re just so damn put together.”

 

“Onodera, I-”

 

“Your apartment is clean, everything around this place is organized. You can cook well. You took a struggling magazine a brought it out of the grave in under a year.” He took a breath as he stared down at the hand the continued to rub his own reassuringly. “You’re doing things I’ve dreamt of.”

 

“Onodera…” Takano moved so that he was in front of the younger, taking his other hand as he leaned in closely. Softer this time, his voice came out in a whisper, breath ghosting over the brunet’s lips. “You’re doing your best, and that’s all that matters right now.”

 

Those green eyes found their way back up again and were met with those tired eyes again, now looking much more gentle than any time in that past month.

 

He caught them sliding shut as his connection leaned even closer, closer, closer.

 

Their foreheads touched and a hand caressed his temple.

 

“I’m here to talk about anything, so don’t let stress build up like this.”

 

And now, Onodera found himself able to grin a bit.

 

“Like you’re one to talk.” It earned a smile from the older.

 

“I’ll tell you next time,” He gave the smaller hands a squeeze. “I expect the same from you.”

 

“Okay.” He squeezed back before moving in to rest his head in the crook of Takano’s neck, face heating up a bit.

 

A deep chuckle rang in his ear and the younger felt himself be pulled closer as arms wrapped around his lower back.

 

They stood like that for a while, their only company the nearly inaudible voices from the television in the other room.

 

When they finally pulled apart, they were able to share another smile before Onodera went to gather his things and make his way back to his own apartment.

 

When he was settling in for bed- he wasn’t sure exactly how Takano  _ knew _ -that deep voice invaded him once more.

 

**[Onodera?]**

 

_ [Takano-san?] _

 

There was a brief silence, but no click. A sort a reluctance made itself apparent.

 

**[Uhm, rest well.]**

 

Just what had that been all about?

 

_ [...You, too. Goodnight.] _

  
**[Goodnight.]**


	7. Chapter 7

**February 13th**

 

It wasn’t all that far into the work day, yet things were seeming a bit off to the brunet.

 

“Hahah, Takano-san, you’re too much!” A woman from another department-Takahashi wasn’t quite sure of which-had been standing at the chief editor’s desk for over five minutes now..

 

Was she out for him?

 

**[Misaki.]**

 

The sudden intrusion of that familiar, deep voice shocked him. He wouldn’t be surprised if his co-workers thought he was a freak for how often this happened.

 

_ [Usagi-san, I have to focus on my work right now. And don’t you have a deadline soon?] _

 

**[I wanted to hear your voice.]**

 

The brunet couldn’t help the slight blush that came to his face. Sighing, he leaned back in his chair.

 

_ [Stupid. You’ll be able to hear it when I get home.] _

 

**[Why bother waiting?]**

 

_ [Usagi-san, I really need to get to work on this. We can talk during my break later, ok? Now get back to work, or else I’m going to make a stop at the market before I get home and buy green peppers.] _

 

**[You wouldn’t.]**

 

_ [I would. Now, I really, really have to go. Talk to you later, Usagi-san.] _

 

**[I love you.]**

 

_ [...love you, too.] _

 

_ Click. _

 

“Micchan, something wrong? You’ve been staring off like that for awhile now.” Kisa had been looking out for him ever since he had started working there, and he appreciated it when it didn’t come down to the teasing he got from him and the others.

 

Not to mention Takano. 

 

With how his boss was, Takahashi found it hard to really understand just what he was going for sometimes. He was respected by his subordinates and from what he had heard from his time working part time, he was a big deal.

 

Surely, passionate…

 

The memory of Takano’s lips brushing against his own came to mind. The explanation that the mangaka could very well draw the scene better almost made him laugh.

 

If Usagi ever found out about that one, he’d never let him step foot into the department ever again.

 

“Ah, don’t worry about me, Kisa-san,” He laughed nervously. “I get really spacy sometimes.”

 

“Were you talking to someone?” The small snicker that came from his co-worker only made him tense.

 

“...” As long as he didn’t say who, it would be fine, right? “Uh, yeah.”

 

“Oh, seriously? You’re so young to have found them already.”

 

“It actually happened when I was 18, haha.”

 

“It probably really would help you in this line of work, you’ve had experience with a connection for years.” He paused, rolling his chair closer to the brunet’s desk. “But you should probably hide that you’re already taken, the department has a reputation to uphold after all.”

 

“Reputation?”

 

“There are women from the company and beyond that dream of landing a date with someone from the Maiden Club,” Green eyes twitched at the nickname. “I’m pretty sure we’re all taken, though. Between you and me, Takano-san has been getting much more spacy recently.”

 

“Huh.” So even the big bad boss himself had someone.

 

“But really, Micchan, you have to be ready. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, women from all over the building will be trying to hand deliver chocolates.”

 

He hadn’t even realized the day was so close, but now he found himself wracking his brain for just what he would be doing with his own connection.

 

He could think of it later. For now, he really had to get back to work, having decided he had already wasted too much time already. ”I’ve been meaning to ask you, have you got any plans for Valentine’s?” The question caught Onodera off guard, but this being Saeki, he didn’t need to worry too much.

 

“Just cooking and talking about work as usual, last I checked.”

 

“Augh, Onodera-kun, don’t be so boring! You’ve actually found someone and don’t plan on making things romantic on Valentine’s? It wouldn’t even have to be a big thing, maybe a movie or something.”

 

“It’s  _ not  _ boring.”

 

And it wasn’t like they hadn’t had any moments. Just over a week ago they had had, what Onodera had later realized, their actual first hug. Before that, Takano had only stood behind him, arms coming around Onodera’s waist to help show him how to chop with a knife.

 

“I guess you two have only been together for around a month…” As she went on, he noticed another co-worker looking over at them from across the room, visibly irritated.

 

“Uhm, Saeki-san, I think I’m gonna get back to things a bit early today.” He stood up from his seat. “See you later.”

_ [Hey, you got a minute to talk?]  _ Now home, Onodera initiated the connection.

 

**[Yeah, what’s up?]** Also home himself, Takano replied almost instantly.

 

_ [Are you doing anything the tomorrow?] _

 

**[Valentine’s.]**

 

_ [Yeah, Valentine’s… Did you want to, uh, do anything?] _

 

**[You want to take a break from the cooking, I assume?]**

 

_ [Yeah, I think I’m getting to a point where I’ll be able to manage things on my own anyways. As long as there’s a recipe, anyways.] _

 

**[Ok, fair enough. So did you want to go out somewhere or to stay at one of our apartments?]**

 

_ [I think I’d rather be back here at the complex.]  _ He sunk further into his spot on the couch. _ [I feel more comfortable here.] _

 

**[How about a movie? What kind do you like?]**

 

_ [As long as it’s not one of those suspense or horror ones, I’m really open to most genres. And not to sound boring, but I really like documentaries.] _

 

**[Don’t worry, I get it. Maybe we could rent one.]**

 

_ [Ah, I wouldn’t want to make the choice on my own like that.] _ Suddenly, his phone began ringing with the sound he dreaded most. It was the tone set to go off when his mother was calling.  _ [I’m sorry, Takano-san. I’m getting a call, we’ll have to talk about this later.] _

 

After a click resounded between the two of them, Onodera put the phone to his ear and accepted the call.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Ritsu, glad that you picked up so quickly.” He could make out the image of her looking at him, disatisfied by something. “I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow.”

 

“Mother, if this is about An-chan, I-”

 

“It  _ is _ about An-chan,” She interrupted. “I talked to her, and I think you two should go out on a date tomorrow for Valentine’s.”

 

“Mother, I already have plans with someone.”

 

“Ritsu, we can only put up with this nonsense for so long.” He could hear her shift in her seat, guessing she was putting her hand to her temple as she always would. “Your engagement to An was decided years ago, why not just settle down already? You’re already 25.”

 

“Mother, we don’t have a connection, what’s the point in-”

 

“ _ What’s the point in getting together with her? _ You two have gotten along well since you were children, and it would be a great way to connect the family companies!” She scoffed lightly, this having been the umpteenth time she had repeated this to her son. “Unless you mean to tell me you’ve found someone in the month since we’ve talked?”

 

“...” He suddenly couldn’t find his voice, panicked.

 

“RItsu…”

 

In a panic, he ended the call and threw his phone onto the cushion like it was burning his hand. It might as well have, considering the trembling that had taken it over.

 

This wasn’t something he had been looking forward to explaining to his parents, nor was it something he expected to have to do any time soon.

 

She probably going to go talk to his father now, he convinced himself of it. He had never really understood many of the decisions his father made.

 

All throughout his childhood, and even now, it still felt as if he were a stranger. He didn’t get to see him much as a child because of how busy the man had been with work, and now even working in the same company he never really saw much of him. There were times like New Years when they always got together, but it felt forced.

 

What was he going to do when he went to work tomorrow? Would his mother intervene with things somehow? Was An going to show up and expect something of him?

 

Should he tell Takano about all this?

 

He plopped onto his side, staring blankly at the rest of his cluttered apartment.

 

_ [Hey, Takano-san?] _

 

**[Hm?]**

 

_ [So about that movie, I was thinking…] _

It almost felt odd when nothing out of the ordinary happened at work the following day. He had been on edge the entire day, worried his mother would waltz into the department and yell at him till kingdom come.

 

Even after walking out of the doors of the office building, he had a sort of impending sense of doom.

 

He really should call An and make sure she knew that this wasn’t going to happen-that he had someone in his life now even though he wasn’t quite at a point where he could say he was in love yet.

 

His thumb hovered over her contact information in his phone multiple times that night, but he never went through with things, and now he was standing in front of Takano’s door.

 

Resolving not to ruin tonight--telling himself that this was a night for him and Takano--he initiated their connection.

 

_ [Takano-san, is your door open?] _

 

**[Yeah, come on in.]**

 

He placed his things down on the floor next to the couch, which had a large blanket laid out on it.

 

Takano padded into the room, carrying a few bags of chips that he had picked up on the way home.

 

“Figured we could just have some snacks tonight.” 

 

“Sounds like a plan.” The brunet smiled, settling himself into the cushions. “So what’re we watching tonight?”

 

“I picked a movie that one of my employees recommended to me, uh,” He picked up the case. “Miracle, it’s called. It’s a movie that came from America that was popular enough to get dubbed. Apparently it’s about some woman who finds her connection right after heartbreak, and how they get together.”

 

“Mm, put it in.” He mumbled as he got under the blanket, still a bit cold from being outside a few minutes ago.

 

He put in the DVD and settled himself next to his connection, getting under the blanket himself.

 

The menu appeared after a few trailers in English- neither of them bothered to listen to just what the movies had been about- and Takano clicked play.

_ “First loves never last… I knew that… from the very beginning.” A woman’s voice spoke, accompanied by a full moon illuminating a night sky. _

 

_ The title of the movie faded onto the screen, subtitle reading the translation directly under it. _

 

_ It then transitioned to a woman’s sleeping face, dark hair sprawled in all different directions on the bed she rested in. Eyelids fluttered open to reveal steel blue eyes, looking around sleepily. _

 

_ She sat up slowly, taking in her surroundings. She heard the noise of a shower going off nearby and saw clothes hanging in the opened closet. _

 

_ “Eh?” She looked around, now shocked. Eyes wander down, she pulled the sheet forward slightly, she blanched at- what the two of them assumed- was a naked body. _

 

As the movie continued, Takano shifted himself closer to the younger, sending him a look. He held back a laugh when he saw green eyes staring intently at the screen.

 

He was having fun watching the varied expressions of his connection rather than paying much attention to the movie.

 

Upon seeing a slight blush appear on the brunet’s face, he turned to look at the screen. A man with curly brown hair in a robe was hovering above the woman in the bed with a smug face.

 

**_[I love taking down prideful people like you a peg or two…]_ ** _ His forefinger traced the outline of her jaw as he invaded her mind, much to her surprise. _

 

_ “Quit it!” She snapped, slapping his hand away, sheet slipping off of her upper body. Quickly pulling it back up, she glared daggers at this man who she apparently knew through work or something of the sort _ \- Takano hadn’t been paying too much attention up until this point.

 

As things progressed, the two continued to grow closer with their new found connection- and things grew even more complicated as the woman found out that curly haired guy had a kid and had previously had a connection with his now dead wife.

 

It was nearly unheard of that a connection could even be made under such circumstances, and even when they did they were incredibly rare.

 

Then the guy-he hadn’t caught his name- went in for a kiss after they were resolving whatever argument they had been suffering with for the past few minutes. And the woman-  _ Tiffany _ , he had heard that much at least-allowed him the peck on the lips.

 

Takano shifted at the action, looking back to the man sitting next to him. Onodera looked back at him and seemed to catch onto just what was going through the older’s head.

 

Groping around for the remote, he found it and paused just as there was a transition to the night sky, just like the beginning of the movie.

 

“Onodera…” He shifted even closer to the brunet, breathing out his name. “Can I?”

 

“T-Takano-san, I-”

 

An obnoxiously loud ringtone echoed through the apartment, and the two backed away from each other.

 

“E-excuse me, I’ll get that.” Watching the younger carefully, he saw the way his face scrunched up. “Hello? An-chan, what’s going on with you?”

 

Takano sank into his spot, only staring as Onodera walked towards the genkan reluctantly.

 

“I told Mother I had plans tonight, I’m sorry…” He heard the door open, and found himself getting up from the couch to follow.

 

When he was met with a long haired brunette pouting at his connection, his brows raised.

  
**[So...is that An-chan?]**


	8. Chapter 8

**[So… is that An-chan?]**

 

Panicked green eyes darted in his direction. The stare the two of them shared in that moment only affirmed to him that he was right.

 

“An-chan,” Onodera started warily. “I told my mother last night that I had plans, I’m sorry if she didn’t tell you that, I thought that she would.”

 

“Ricchan, you could’ve given me a call, too. If anything, when your mother called last night she was even more insistent that I come here tonight.” She trailed off, eyes falling to the hallway floor.

 

“An-chan,” He sighed now, hands fumbling now. “I’m sorry, I think she was meddling again. I was spending tonight with him.” He motioned the Takano, who was leaning against the frame of the open door.

 

Deep brown eyes glanced between the two of them, taking note of the light blush that began to appear on her childhood friend’s face. She held back a laugh that threatened to rip from her throat, recognizing the behavior.

 

“Are you two... dating?” She asked the question after a few moments of silence, earning mixed reactions.

 

Takano looked back into the apartment, the slightest tug taking his lips. Onodera on the other hand looked down at his hands as he began to fumble with them.

 

“We’re… connected.” He huffed out quietly, glancing up to look at her face.

 

“O-oh…” They couldn’t be sure of what to make of the reaction, until she took a few steps forward, grabbing those shaking hands. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!”

 

“H-huh?” He barely was able to question things before she continued.

 

“Just how long have you two been together then? And just when were you planning on telling me and your parents for that matter?”

 

“An-chan, I-”

 

“And I don’t want you thinking that I’m upset about this, sure I’ll need some time to really take it all in, but I’m happy for you! You really always did take to those sappy romance novels, so it wouldn’t surprise me that you would want to only be with someone that you’re connected to- uh, what’s his name?”

 

“Takano Masamune.” He slided into the conversation effortlessly, arms crossed over his chest. “And you are?”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry, it’s so rude of me to interrupt you two on Valentine’s of all days.” Her brows drew in slightly, embarrassed by the whole situation. “I’m Kohinata An, nice to meet you, Takano-san.”

 

“Likewise.” He allowed for his arms to fall to his side, offering her one of his work smiled. “It’s always nice to meet someone who knows Onodera.”

 

“Come now, you’ve only really met one other person that knew me before you.” The brunet huffed out.

 

“Wouldn’t hurt to meet more, and we’ve really only known each other for five weeks or so at this point, so it’s not like I’d know everything already.”

 

“Five weeks?” The woman’s eyes widened a margin. “That means that you two met almost directly after the last time you met up with your parents then, right?”

 

“Ah, it was a little under a week after I visited them for New Years.”

 

“So I’m assuming that you really have been avoiding telling them about it?”

 

“You know how my mother can be…and I have no clue how my father would react to this.” His eyes fell once more, not wanting to think about just what would go down when she did find out.

 

“Well it’s not exactly like she can just disown you for something you have zero control over like this, even if she isn’t a big fan of homosexual relationships. You were literally meant to be!” She gave his hands a supportive squeeze, smiling up at him.

 

“I sure hope so.” He sighed, glancing back at Takano, who was still staring silently from the door.

 

“Well, sorry for interrupting your first Valentine’s together like this.” She pulled back her hands only to dive in for a tight hug. “Enjoy the rest of your night Ricchan!”

 

As she walked away towards the elevator, she stopped in her tracks and sent a look over her shoulder at the two of them.

 

“Oh, and if your mother calls me asking how things went later, I’ll tell her to shoot you a call. She deserves to know, ok?”

 

“You’re right…” He trailed off, moving back towards his connections apartment. “Well, goodnight, An-chan. See you soon.”

 

“Bye, Ricchan!” She waved as he disappeared back into the apartment, Takano closing the door behind the two of them. Once steps faded into silence, she sighed, pressing the button for the elevator to come up.

 

“Connected, huh…”

When the two of them settled back into their spots in the living room, the younger couldn’t help but to let out a sigh.

 

“Sorry about that,” He apologized. “I didn’t think my mother was actually going to send her over after I told her that I had plans.”

 

“Don’t worry about it.” He waved it off. “I can’t exactly say I understand with how my family is, but I can guess that she’s stubborn, right?”

 

“Well, I can see where she’s coming from, I guess.” He leaned back, looking up towards the ceiling. “I’m the only child of the family and she wants me to settle down and take over the company.”

 

“Well, are you going to?”

 

“Are you referring to settling down or taking over the company?” He laughed despite his mood and looked over to Takano.

 

“Well,” The older chuckled a bit himself. “I was referring to taking over the company, but I’d love to talk about your plans on settling down as well.”

 

“I’ve been brooding over the whole thing for ages, you know?” He smiled sadly. “I don’t think it’s a matter of yes I want to, or no I don’t. It honestly feels like much more of a matter of when it will happen.”

 

Amber eyes urged him on silently, and they were acknowledged without the brunet even looking back to his side.

 

“I love literature and all to bits, but I’m terrified of it becoming an obligation over something that I’ve enjoyed since I could read my first few words. I’ve been being told before I could even understand the weight of my position just how lucky I am, how I need to take over the company one day, how I  _ need _ to have kids so one of my own can take things over. And I never wanted to take things for granted or abuse my ties to others, but ever since I started to rebel against my family’s plans for me, it feels like what was already strained got so much worse.

 

But now I have you. You go against the ideals my mother tried, and obviously failed I must add, to instill in me from birth. Everything just feels like it sucks, you know?”

 

The following moments of silence left Onodera wondering if he had shared a little too much, and he looked over to Takano.

 

Upon catching those panicked green eyes on him again, the chief editor scooted over to the brunet’s spot on the couch, putting one of his hands on top of Onodera’s.

 

“Does talking about all of this make you feel better?”

 

“Honestly, I feel it’s best to get stuff like this out of your system if possible, but a lot of the time I don’t want to trouble anybody. In the end I just end up not doing anything and letting things pile up more and more. So, yeah.”

 

‘That’s a way of looking at things, I guess.” He looked to the floor, focusing on one particular pattern on the wooden flooring. “I had some shit going on when I was younger too, I wouldn’t say it’s as stressful as being brought up to become something like a CEO, but…”

 

“Let’s not talk about this intending to see who had it worse, just talk, okay?” It earned a breathy laugh from the older.

 

“Yeah, yeah.” He took a moment before going on. “I don’t even know where to start. My mother’s a lawyer and my father a surgeon- well he acted as my father. My real father, he was my mother’s connection, they had rushed things and she got pregnant with me before she married the father I grew up knowing about.”

 

“O-Oh, I had no idea. I didn’t mean to bring up something if it’s too touchy a topic.”

 

“No, it’s fine, you had no real way of knowing. Really, things were shit once I got into middle school and those two stopped caring about hiding their fights from me. Probably thought that since they basically left me alone at home most of the time that I was mature and could take it. Really all that time alone ended up making me indifferent to a lot of things, and I found it easiest to throw myself into reading book after book. I would stay at my school’s library until they kicked me out most days.”

 

“Funny, I heard things about a guy like that at my school when I was younger. One day a girl from my class forgot her stuff in the library and made her way back in pretty late and it was a bit dark and she thought the guy was a ghost or something.”

 

“Huh, something like that happened while I was a third year in school. I was sitting there and this girl screamed when I pushed in my chair. I was only getting up cause I thought it was going to be a teacher coming to kick me out.”

 

“It happened during my first year…”

 

“What did your school look like?”

 

“It had four floors, and the library was a few floors up. You could see a courtyard from up there, it had really pretty cherry blossom trees around the perimeter of it… and if you got there at the right time, you could hear the band practicing below.”

 

“Did the library have huge white curtains by the window overlooking everything?”

 

“Yeah!”

 

“Did the student volunteer at the counter have short black hair and wear glasses?”

 

“Himura-chan! She was in my class!”

 

“Oh, god.” He leaned back now, eyes shutting. “What are the chances…”

 

“I’m surprised we wouldn’t have met back then considering how often we were both in the library then.”

 

“Well I always had my nose in a book until I got kicked out, so it’s not like we would’ve made eye contact or anything.”

 

“I guess… still, this is so weird!” He laughed, stress having been forgotten. “I wonder how things would be if we had met back then!”

 

“I do, too.” He faced forward now, noticing the screen still paused on the full moon. “Hey, wanna finish this movie, or what?”

 

“Oh, totally forgot about it.” He got more comfortable again. “Yeah, I can’t imagine that there’s much left.”

 

_ After the screen faded back into black, a new scene began with dark heels making their way across tiled flooring. _

 

_ ‘I needed to talk to him about that sales data, nobody bothered giving it to us yet. That’s all I’m doing here.’ Tiffany thought to herself and she walked to her connection’s department. _

 

_ When she stopped at the entrance of the department, she was met with the sight of three women surrounds him and found herself fuming. _

 

_ ‘Hell, it’s Valentine’s and they’re flirting with a taken man. Are we even doing anything today?’ She pondered over things as she stomped back to her own department’s offices. ‘Should I have made chocolates or something?’ _

 

_ Her phone jingled quietly, muffled by her jacket pocket. Pulling it out, she was met with a message from Haley, the daughter of her connection. _

 

_ It asked her to get back to the apartment as soon as she could, and all through the day, Tiffany had the request in mind. _

 

_ The scene then cut to the apartment, Haley holding a recipe in her hands. _

 

_ “My friend is making them with her mom, and I can’t make them with Papa because they’re going to be for him. An it’s my first time trying to make these from scratch, so could you help me, Ms. Tiffany?” _

 

_ “Could I see the recipe for what you want to make?” Haley handed the papers over to the woman. _

 

_ “Have you ever made something with chocolate from scratch like this, Ms. Tirrany?” _

 

At the mention of chocolate, Takano let out a grunt in recognition and got up from his spot. Onodera only watched on in confusion until the man came back carrying a small bag.

 

“I made these up a few days ago after you went back to your place, here.” He handed over the bag and the brunet peeked in to find a small container of brownies, powdered sugar sprinkled on top of them. “I hope you like them, cause I’m not too big on sweets.”

 

“Oh, wow, they look so good.” He popped one out of the container, taking a bite. “Tastes good, too. And really, I’m not too picky on things, the only thing I really can’t stand is potatoes when they’re mashed.”

 

“Mashed potatoes?”

 

“Yeah, I don’t know why,” He took another bite, savouring the sweet taste. “I have to say now though, don’t expect something like this on White Day next month. It’d take months to get something like this out of me.”

 

“Oh, don’t bother, it’s fine to just spend my time with you.” He then glanced to his side, noticing  the time. “Well, it’s getting late, you’re normally getting ready for bed around this time.”

 

“Ah, you’re right. The credits are rolling anyways.” He hadn’t noticed until then, having been too caught up in the brownies. “Well, thanks for the food! Get to bed soon, Takano-san!”

 

After gathering his things up, he made his way back to the entryway to slip into his shoes. Right before he was able to leave the apartment, he heard Takano calling out his name along with hurried footsteps.

 

“I almost forgot.” His face was suddenly a breath away, and Onodera couldn’t help the gasp that escaped his lips. “Can I…?”

 

After all that happened that evening, he couldn’t say that there was nothing there. In fact, if anything, that talk had only made him feel more confident about things, if only the tiniest bit. So he could let this happen.

 

This in mind, he nodded his head slowly.

 

Takano’s hand came up to caress the brunet’s left cheek slowly before moving to brush bangs out of green eyes.

 

He then went on to lean in, taking in the sight of his connection, his eyes shut and a bright blush spreading across his face.

 

With a low chuckle, he pecked the younger on the lips before pulling back and ruffling brown hair.

  
“Goodnight, rest well.” He whispered before retreating back into his apartment, leaving the blushing mess that was his connection in the genkan.


End file.
